The Fine Line
by halffictionalprincess
Summary: There is a fine line between love and hate and they didn't know which side they were on anymore.
1. The Cat and The Caretaker

Summary- There is a fine line between love and hate and they didn't know which side they were on anymore.

Disclaimer- I wish i owned Harry Potter. But I don't *sigh*.

Chapter 1-The Cat And The Caretaker

She was running from a cat.  
>After fighting giant chess sets, werewolves , dementors, death eaters, giants and Voldemort himself,a cat seemed so trivial ,but, thought Hermione Granger , it was Mrs Norris , so maybe it wasn't <em>that <em>trivial .She should've just eaten at dinner time. But she hadn't been hungry then, and sneaking out to the kitchens had seemed like the best idea when her stomach was growling with hunger , it had seemed like the best idea while eating that delicious meatloaf. But now when she was running away from Mrs Norris in the middle of the night, it seemed like the worst idea EVER!

Suddenly she heard footsteps, definitely not cat. Then she heard a muffled voice. It was she was caught, then she would be in trouble .Big trouble. She increased her speed, but knew she couldn't keep running, not when Filch knew more secret routes than she ever would.

She saw a door upfront and realised that, it was the answer to all her prayers. The caretaker and the cat were getting closer, so she opened the door, entered, leaned against the door and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath of relief when she heard footsteps pass the door by.

" If you came here to enjoy the show Granger ,then you should probably open your eyes " said a voice , Hermione's eyes shot open.  
>In her haste to escape the caretaker and the cat , she hadn't realized where she was going . She now realized to stupid it was.<br>She'd entered a bathroom .A boy's bathroom.  
>And in front of her stood the last person she wanted to see.<br>In front of her stood Draco Malfoy with an amused look on his face .  
>Wearing nothing but a grin and a towel .<br>*************

He didn't know whether to be flattered of uncomfortable.

The way Granger was staring at him could only mean two things she either liked what she saw , or maybe she was horrified , His guess was a little bit of both.  
>As if she read his thoughts, she suddenly looked away .<p>

"What are you doing here ?" She asked, still looking away  
>"I would think it was fairly obvious , Granger especially to a genius like you . I was taking a shower" He replied " but shouldn't I be the one asking you that question? What are you , Granger doing in boys bathroom in the middle of the night?" He asked with a grin . This should be interesting .<br>" i was.. Its none of your business " She replied then looked up , their eyes met and her cheeks turned red .  
>"Well ,since you came here while I was showering , I would say it is, as a matter of fact, my business.<br>Or did you come here to see me, Granger? " He asked cheekily, he knew it wasn't true but he liked the way her eyes flared when h she was angry. And she certainly was angry now.  
>" Get off that high horse, Malfoy .Come to see You?" She made a face full of disgust " If you must know , I was running away from Filch and I need a place to hide ,I saw this door and entered . If I had know It would be you in here , I would've rather got caught-"<br>He'd heard footstep and he knew Hermione's rising voice would be heard . His words would have had no effect on her. So he used the only way he knew he could shut her up .

He kissed her.

A/n – Thank You for reading !  
>Its a new story and I would appreciate reviews!<br>Hope you liked it ! Next part's going to be up soon!


	2. Go Back

A/n- Thank You for reading the first chapter and for coming back for the second! I hope you will like it .  
>Disclaimer – It's J.K Rowling's bank account that gets the money from Harry Potter sales. Not mine. Unfortunately<p>

Chapter 2-Go Back.  
>He'd expected to be hexed, hit in the nuts or maybe even killed, what he had not expected was to be kissed back, thought Draco, as he felt her hands wrap around his neck . <p>

As if , his hands had a mind of their own , they wrapped themselves around her back and pulled her closer. If someone had told him this morning that he would be kissing Hermione Granger , in the boys bathroom in the middle of night , he would have either hexed that person , laughed his arse off or send them to Madam Pomfrey. He would have literally walked them to the hospital , if they'd said that she would kiss him back.

But then she stiffened , and he knew that she had come back to reality and the kiss had just been a break from reality , a fluke to her . Why that thought was disappointing , he didn't know.  
>She pulled away and took a step back . With red puffy cheeks, messed up hair, swollen lips and wearing pyjamas with muggle cars on them , she should've looked plain stupid. But to Draco, all she looked was ...was .. beautiful.<p>

" Why ... why would you do that?" she said, her eyes wide . All he wanted to do was grab her and kiss her again , but he couldn't . She was Hermione Granger . Even if he didn't hate her and her friends anymore , didn't mean that they had stopped hating him. And that annoyed him . To the point of madness.

"To shut you up , Granger" He said " I had to stop your rambling , so that Filch , who was probably outside, from hearing you . Otherwise we both would have been caught. " then , with his most disgusted voice , he said " You can't possibly think , it was because I wanted to ? Wanted to kiss you? Even You are not that naive , Granger are you? "

He saw a flash of hurt pass in her eyes, he wouldn't have seen it if he wasn't looking . But he was, and all it did was make him feel like the biggest arse in this world. But then it was replaced with anger .

"No, I did not think that you did it because you wanted to ." She said, then laughed "God , me kissing Draco Malfoy ,of all people? " She said that with so much disbelief that Draco's slytherin ego had to take offence .

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked , before he could stop himself.  
>"It's supposed to mean that I would never kiss a twitchy little ferret like you Malfoy. I would rather kiss the Giant Squid ." she said .He knew he couldn't let her get the upper hand<br>"Yeah , well Moaning Myrtle would have been a better snog than that" He fired back , a complete lie.  
>Her eyes narrowed and colour rose up her cheeks . He finally felt comfortable , fighting .They were back to common ground , Thank Merlin.<br>"You would know wouldn't you , how kissing a ghost would feel, since no girl alive would want kiss cockroach like you" She said. The look of triumph in her eyes goded him .  
>" No boy , alive of dead would want to kiss you Granger. Only maybe to shut you up" He let his anger take over "I thought that, that pathetic Weasley might have been the one for you , but He too ,miraculously , has found a girl"<br>The flash of hurt in her eyes told he'd gone too far , again. But again , it was gone as soon as it came.  
>She took a deep breath , to calm herself probably<br>" Look , I know neither of us actually wanted that to happen , but it did and now we can't change it so let's just forget about it , and not talk about it to anyone ,because we both have a reputation to maintain . Let's just go back to what we were before this happened"  
>Somehow , the fact that kissing Draco was something Hermione considered bad for her reputation , irritated and annoyed him. He didn't know why. She was right , though he would never admit it , but he was still .. hur..no he couldn't be hurt. He didn't know what he was, but he still calmed himself and nodded his agreement<br>Suddenly , Hermione's face reddened a lot more . He didn't know why. She turned he back on him, walked towards the door,and just before leaving she said  
>"You might want to pick up that towel or it might get wet" and with that said, she left.<br>Draco looked down to see that in all the events ,the towel wrapped around his waist was not there anymore , it was on the ground and Draco was buck naked.  
>A slow grin spread on his face . No matter what she thought , after what had happened tonight ,there wouldn't be any going back for them . Draco would make sure of it.<p>

A/N – I hope you liked it Please ,please, please review. If only tell me it sucked . Pretty please 


	3. All His Fault!

A/n-Thank You for reading the last two chapters. I hope you liked them!  
>Disclaimer- H.P=J.K <p>

Chapter 3-All His Fault! 

That annoying , irritating ,conniving bastard.  
>She softly cursed as she walked through the bridge, and entered the beautiful village of Hogsmeade. She was alone, all her friends were probably on their second butterbear by now.<p>

It was all his fault, she decided.

It was all his fault that she hadn't reached bed until 1:05 am , his fault that she hadn't been able to sleep, some murderous and some really inappropriate dreams had kept Hermione on the edge all night. It was his fault that she'd woken up late in the morning and had missed her friends on the way to hogsmeade , almost missed breakfast and had been told off by Filch already.

As she blamed everything on him, an image of his broad chest came in her mind and heat rushed up her. She had to stop thinking about him like that. Though some girls would say that Draco Malfoy was probably the most handsome boy in school, Hermione had thought it was all rubbish. But the image of his dark grey eyes as they had stared at her after kissing her, the messy blonde hair he'd had just after he'd showered, rushed into her mind and convinced her that maybe it was true after all-

No No No,Just No.

She couldn't think about him like that ,He was Draco Malfoy. She did NOT like him, or his beautiful smile and she certainly did not want another kiss from him like an addict looking for a hit.

She didn't.

She stopped as she came in front of The Three Broomsticks , confused. On one hand she wanted to go in and meet her friends but on the other she hated being the fifth wheel. Now that Ron and Harry had girlfriends, Hermione was beginning to feel a little left out. Not that she wasn't happy for them, but things were different now.

She sighed and decided that a walk around the village might do her some good. As she walked through the snowy lanes , she remembered the article she'd read in The Daily Prophet over the summer ,It was something that one had she couldn't believe was true but on the other hand she somehow knew it was the truth.

The article was about the Malfoys, about how Lucius's conviction had affected the family , How it was his own Son's testimony that had landed him and some other death eaters into Azkaban. About how Draco Malfoy had refused to be one of them. About how he wasn't allowed into his own home anymore. His actions had made him a hero, and she'd had a little sympathy for him, not being able to understand how hard it must have been to testify against his own hard it must have been to defy all that he'd always believed in. Though no one at Hogwarts would admit it ,everyone saw him in a different light. Even Harry and Ron ,though they would never admit it, had grown a little respect for the slytherin.

She had to stop ,again. Because the day she started to see Draco Malfoy as noble , all she's ever known would become a complete lie. The moment she stopped seeing him as the boy who'd almost gotten Buckbeak killed, who'd wished she was dead , who's almost cost Hagrid his job , a lot would change. But in her heart she knew that he wasn't that boy anymore.

In her musings , she realized that she had reached near the woods .She was about to turn back when she heard a dog bark. She'd always been a sucker for dogs, so she decided to see look for it. She followed the sound to a little farther into the woods ,and then she finally saw the dog. It was small ,not a puppy but not a full grown dog either. The she saw a sight that broke her heart , he didn't have a hind leg , but the dog was barking out of pleasure and then she saw a stick fly into the air, and saw the dog run to find it , eager to see who it was playing with the looked a little farther and she couldn't believe her eyes.

She must have made a sound because he turned around to face her , he seemed as shocked as she felt.

"This is the second time you've sneaked up on me , Granger. Are you following me? " asked Draco Malfoy with a mischievous look on his face.

A/n- I hope you liked it , I know its short but I promise I'll update soon.  
>Please ,please review to let me know what you thought about this! <p>


	4. Facts He Would Never Admit

A/N- Hope you like this part!  
>Disclaimer-Who knows, Maybe I'm J.K Rowling. No, I'm not!<p>

Chapter 3-Facts He Would Never Admit.

It was all her fault.

Draco Malfoy twisted on his bed ,as the thought crossed his was 2 in the morning and he had an early transfiguration class tomorrow, if he got detention because he was late , He swore to god he would kill her. And then he would kill himself.

Why couldn't she have stayed the insufferable ,annoying ,know-it-all he used to think she was? Why had she suddenly turned into this beautiful ,kind, compassionate girl? Why did her laugh suddenly seem like the most musical sound when earlier it was all he could do to make it stop? Wasn't his head all ready messed up enough that now he couldn't even blame her for all of it? His life had been so much easier before this afternoon.

His thoughts turned to this afternoon and his "meeting" with Granger.

_12 hours ago..._

"_This is the second time you've sneaked up on me , Granger. Are you following me? " he'd asked, half wondering if it was true , maybe even ...wishing that it wa- .No , No he wasn't wishing anything._

_He saw blur of emotion crossing her face , trying to keep up. As far as he could tell it was shock, followed by wonder, then anger and then the blank expression she kept most of the time she talked to him._

"_How big a head do you have Malfoy?" she asked, more like sneered," Following you? Are you crazy? Like I would have the time or the energy for that? I'm busy you know, with work .Not that You would know what that meant, of course."_

_And though he would never admit it, her words had hurt. But damn him if would let her know that ._

"_Yeah-"  
>But his remark got cut off by the yipping of the dog running towards them. Another fact he would never admit ,he had really started to love the silly little pup he'd saved from a hound. The little pup had a the stick in his mouth , a sudden wave of pride rushed through him and completely forgetting about the shell shocked Hermione Granger staring at him, well not really, he bent down to pat the dog and laughed when the dog dropped the stick to lick his face.<em>

_But then he ran towards Hermione. Traitor. And ran around her feet. She looked surprised but then looked up at him and looked helpless. That was the first and probably the last time he would ever see Hermione Granger looking helpless . _

"_I think he wants you to pet him" he said_

_She bent down, cautiously , to pet him and ruffled his head. She tried to maintain her distance but hr wouldn't let her , he got closer and licked her face like he had Draco's ,She laughed but didn't move away. The pup was loving all the attention. The git._

_FHWNA (Fact He would never admit)- He was a little jealous of the dog. But only a little._

_He was a little shocked that the dog took to her, It had taken him a long time to get used to Draco.  
>They said Dogs had a good sense of trust. Maybe it was true.<em>

_After she was done petting him and making some adorable noises ,the dog ran and picked up the stick and back to him._

"_Back , are you?" He asked , but took the stick , and threw it. The pup chased it._

_He looked up to find Hermione looking after it with a soft look on her red cheeks and lips, covered in a red scarf and sweater , she looked so different than he was used to seeing her._

_FHWNA- He thought it was a little adorable. But only a little._

"_Where'd you find him?" She asked, forgetting about their fight, at least he thought she had. Hoped even.  
>"Here in Hogsmeade, saved him from a hound that was trying to eat him. Couldn't save his leg though" He replied, the guilt over his helplessness still ate at him.<em>

"_That was really sweet of you " She said,something close to respect and awe evident in her voice. And the way she looked at him, you would think he was a hero. But he wasn't, not even close.  
>And he couldn't let her think he was one.<br>FHWNA- But he liked that she thought that. Maybe a little too much._

"_Stop looking at me like that , Granger. I'm no hero. Don't confuse me with Potter. I do everything for me, and not for anyone else .Don't be naive, Granger. We both know it doesn't suit you."_

_He could swear he saw hurt in her gaze, but it was gone too soon ._

"_I don't think you are a hero Malfoy" she said " I just didn't know you had a heart"_

_Then she turned around and left._

Now-

The clock chimed 3 am and Draco was still awake, thinking about Granger ,that kiss and her words .

He sighed , then decided to take a walk ,maybe the cool air outside would clear his head.  
>He hoped that it would be better than the last time he'd sneaked out, he'd ended up in a boy's bathroom, kissing Hermione Granger.<p>

He hoped he didn't run into her this time. That would be a nightmare 

FHWNA- But in his heart, he was wishing he did. But only a little  
>Another FHWNA- He was beginning to like Hermione Granger. Maybe a little too much<p>

A/n – I hope you liked it ,please leave some reviews.


	5. Her New Bad Habit

A/n- I hope you guys liked the last part and I hope you would like this one too!

Disclaimer- As if...

Chapter 4-Her New Bad Habit.

This was becoming a habit, thought Hermione Granger as she ran away from a cat. Again.  
>Why couldn't she just have stayed in bed? Oh right because she couldn't sleep , because someone had been in her thoughts. Thoughts that didn't involve books and they certainly didn't involve clothes. . Thought she wasn't supposed to be having. But yet , she was.<p>

Taking a walk to clear her head had seemed like great idea when the picture of him in and out of that towel had invaded her head. The picture of him slowly smiling while petting that dog, the picture of the pain in his eyes when he had said he wasn't a hero, the hurt when she had called him heartless.

But what she hadn't counted on was Mrs Norris. Again. She ran faster as she heard the cat slowly nearing. She looked behind to see if the cat had seen her yet or just heard her. And ran smack into a chest.

Correction , a naked , and really hard chest.

She hoped to god, prayed with all her faith that it wasn't his chest she'd run into , that it wasn't him grabbing herby elbows and slowing pushing both of them inside a broom closet. But when had HER luck ever worked? She looked up to see the same grey eyes that had been haunting her sleep

She opened her mouth to say something but he put his hand on her mouth and shook his head. She realized that Filch and Mrs Norris were still out and would probably hear her and nodded to let him know she understood him. She remembered the last time they'd been in this situation, that time he'd kissed her to shut her up, a part of her was disappointed that he hadn't used that way again, but another part, the logical, intelligent part was glad that he hadn't.

She heard footsteps outside , slowly they faded away and she relaxed and then realized that she was still in Draco's arms and it felt so warm that she didn't want to leave . She wanted to snuggle in ,nope Not Completing that .

Then she felt him whisper in her ear ,  
>"This is becoming a habit Granger."And she could honestly feel his smirk against her his comment didn't make her angry ,instead she smiled . She didn't know why, she just did.<br>She also didn't know why she said

" It sure is, now I think you are the one following me."  
>She heard him chuckle and couldn't control laughter of her own. She freed herself from his arms, still laughing and now he was laughing too, they laughed together for a while. At the obscenity of this situation, at how they kept running into each other so much, because it was either laugh or to admit that they weren't enemies anymore ,hadn't been since he had helped her by letting her hide in the bathroom, not since they'd shared those moments in that forest .<p>

But then his eyes met hers and the laughter died down.

They stared at each other and Hermione knew she should go back to her dorm, and she would as soon as she could get her legs to start working.

In the end , it was him who broke their eye contact. And a fleeting thought that he could break her heart that easily entered her mind but she shut it down. Because there was no way she would give Draco Malfoy the right to break her heart.

"Come on, let's get out of here , before Filch and his damn cat get back here" He said, and opened the door. She willed her legs to work and got out, then looked at him and remembered that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Again. Damn , he looked good just wearing sweat pants.

She quickly looked away but she had to ask

"What is it with you and not wearing clothes?"  
>He stared at her for a moment ,as if trying to comprehend what she was talking about ,then looked down at himself , then he smirked, looked at her and said<p>

"Well, it's you Granger , turns out you bring out the exhibitionist in me."  
>She felt heat rise up her cheeks but spoke with as much nonchalance she could muster<br>"I thought that you had always been an exhibitionist. Trying to get as much attention as you could"

She heard him chuckle but he didn't say anything. They walked in silence for a while .Then she realized that they had gotten to the point where the Gryffindor tower stood at the right and dungeons to the left , she was about to say good night , when he turned right with her.

"Aren't the dungeons the other way?" She stopped and asked ,he turned to look at her with a tired expression , as if he was trying to explain something to a three year old and said

"I'm walking you to the common room , Granger"  
>"I don't need you to walk me to the common room. I can take care of myself ,thank you very much."<br>He sighed, then said " I know you can take care of yourself ,Granger. Just let me do it for me ,okay?  
>My mother would kill me If she found out that I let a girl walk alone at 3:30 in the morning."<p>

She snorted and said " Even a mudblood like me?" She'd meant it as a joke,but some hurt must have been visible on her face because he immediately became serious and said the most unexpected words.

"Hermione, I am really sorry about that, I was a spoiled twelve year old" He looked disgusted at himself "I was cocky, and arrogant and you didn't deserve anything I said to you ,I know I was horrible and I know you can't forgive me but for what it's worth ,I am really really sorry that I ever called you that." What got to her was the evident desperation on his face and she realized that he really needed her to forgive him.

"Your apology has been accepted Malfoy , though I would say you were jerk then and yes i never deserved what you said ,but it's okay ,and it's in the past" She saw his face light up and her heart went crazy ,but she still needed her revenge "I get that you were just jealous of me "

She saw the moment her words hit him and saw that he was desperately trying to control a smile

"Jealous of you?" He fake snorted " Never Granger. Not even in your dreams." Then he scowled, which ,again, was fake " Now are we going to stand here and wait for Filch to come and find us?"  
>He started and walking and Hermione stood there, still baffled by their exchange . Had she and Draco Malfoy just become... friends?<p>

He turned and frowned " Why are you still standing there?" then he looked concerned when she just stared at him "Are you okay?" he asked .And that was the answer to her question. That yes , they indeed had become friends.

She smiled , started walking and said "Yes , Your highness" and heard him laugh , right alongside her.

She was laughing with Malfoy , and it was becoming a habit . A bad one.

A/n- I hope you liked please pleaseeeeee Review!


	6. For Her

A/n- Thank You for the views till now! And I hope you like this one!

Disclaimer-Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. And I am not her.

Chapter 6-For her.

It was possible that the steam was rising from him, not his potion.

Draco Malfoy added another fistful of leeches in the cauldron and frowned because his potion wasn't the colour of peach it was supposed to be , it was bright yellow. They were making the Potion for memory gain and Draco wanted his to be perfect.

He would've worried for competition from her any other day but today, it seemed, he didn't have anything to worry about. Judging from the way Granger was more interested in what Potter had to say and not how her potion was turning out, it looked like his biggest competition was out of the way.

Instead of making him happy , that thought only depressed him. And he didn't know why.

Wait, he knew why, it was because there was no fun in winning if there wasn't a good competition. And slytherins did love a good competition. It wasn't ,nope, because Granger had only looked at him once this morning and had been constantly laughing with Potter.

The ball of fire in his stomach wasn't because their talk last night, obviously hadn't mattered to her, he wasn't seething because she'd been constantly touching Potter's arm as they worked on their potion. It was just because he hadn't slept well. Or had breakfast.

Her laugh drew him away from his potion again and he watched as she laughed obviously trying to control it ,so that she didn't attract Snape's attention. God, she looked beautiful when she laughed.  
>It even managed to bring a smile to his face. But it vanished as soon as he saw Potter put his finger on her lips as he tried to ask her to be quiet. The snake that had risen in his chest ordered him to takeout his want and hex Potter or better yet forget the wand and to go over there and punch Potter, but he managed to control himself.<p>

Another few minutes later he heard another laugh shooting from the Gryffindor side of the table, and it was,yet again , Granger,but this time Snape had noticed too.

"Miss Granger, control your laughter, 5 points from Gryffindor." Snape sneered" Mr Potter, go partner with Mr Malfoy ,Miss Parkinson will be with Miss Granger"

Draco watched, stunned , as Potter and Pansy changed their seats. What was Snape playing at? Partnering him with potter? Draco sighed because he knew he wouldn't be able to understand Severus Snape , at least ,not in this lifetime.

Potter took his place next to him and the commotion went on. Draco softly cursed, then passed over some knotgrass towards Potter ,for him to grind. Potter looked at him and then the knotgrass for a moment ,and then started grinding.

When Draco looked a few minutes later he saw that Potter had grinding the knotgrass too fine . His anger erupted.

"Why would you that ?"he asked " Can't you read the instructions , the knotgrass isn't supposed to be that fine "

Potter looked angry ,but maybe a little guilty too. In the end the anger won out. Of course it did, Potter was a Gryffindor after all.

" You should do it yourself ,if you have such a problem with it" He exclaimed.

Draco was about to reply when he saw Hermione's pleading look. Asking him not to pick a fight at this time. He almost smiled back to her, until he realized it was all because she wanted to protect Potter, but he couldn't ignore her look. He would do it. For her.

"Look Potter, too fine knotgrass would make the potion runny, we do not want that, we want the potion to be thick, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner ,and I'm sorry for shouting at could you do it again?"

Potter looked shocked at his behaviour, and if he had to admit ,being kind to Potter felt a little weird too. But he did it any way . For Her

He looked at her and she had a surprised look on her face, but it was mixed with gratitude and then she gave him a smile, the same one that had been on her face when he'd said that he was going to walk her to the common room. He returned her smile, and then inwardly groaned as he saw that Potter still hadn't managed to get the knotgrass completely right.

It was going to be a long two hours.

Draco could still see the smile etched upon Hermione's face ,and he couldn't remember a more beautiful memory. It was something he would always carry with him. No matter what.

He sat in a quiet corner of the library and tried to concentrate on the book he was reading for a transfiguration essay,but Hermione's laugh echoed in his mind and he shut the book and banged his head against the wooden table. It hurt.

"Ouch" said a voice above him, a voice that had been haunting him for days . He looked up to see the subject of his musings staring at him with an amused expression.

He couldn't stop the smile that came on to his mouth. And his heart sang when she smiled back.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked, then mentally kicked himself.

But to his surprise , Hermione looked sheepish .Then she looked around and then took out two chocolate muffins from her bag and his mouth watered. She kept one in front of him and sat down on the seat opposite to him.

" A peace offering , for not picking a fight with Harry today" she said. He took the muffin , bit into it and almost moaned , it was amazing. "Where did you get this from?"he asked between mouthfuls  
>"And you are welcome, by the way."<p>

"My mother makes them, and sends them to me sometimes" she replied, taking small bites of her own " I thought you'd like them"

"I do, they are amazing" he replied. They ate in silence for a while , and when they'd both finished ,she muttered a spell to clear away all the crumbs.

"Listen I really am sorry about Harry," She said suddenly "He can be absent minded sometimes, and I am really thankful that you didn't pick a fight" she looked so serious , that his heart softened .

"Hey" he covered her hand with his" it's alright , and Potter is absent minded , but well all Gryffindors are , aren't they" at her stern look ,he added " present company excluded of course" Then he grinned and saw her grin looked at each other for a moment until ,he realized he was still holding her hand and he broke the contact to pull it away.

"And anyway, turns out Potter isn't that bad a bloke" he said, a little miffed to have to admit it but he had to. For her " Even made a couple of jokes"  
>But she didn't look surprised, in fact she laughed, and no matter how beautiful it was, it still irritated him.<br>"Why are you laughing?"He asked ,but his question and his scowl made her laugh even more,after a few moments she calmed down and said  
>"I'm laughing because Harry said those same things about you" she said, grinning "Who knew ,Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy could get along?"<p>

"Well , I have to endure all kinds of tortures for friends ,don't I?" he said, laughing along with her.

But then her expression changed and she asked

" So are we , friends I mean?" she asked ,looking nervous.  
>"Yes , Granger, we are friends" he replied sincerely " I don't go around being civil to Potter , for just anyone"<br>She smiled.  
>But in their hearts they both knew it wasn't just for her, It was for him too.<p>

A/n-Please ,Please review.I need to know if it is good. Please ,pretty please!


	7. Old Enemies and New Friends

A/n- Its one of the last chapters. I think the story will end in the 9th chapter. I hope you guys keep reading and like it too. Thank You!

Disclaimer- Nope , never owned anything.

Chapter 7- Old Enemies and New Friends.

The sight of Snape and Mcgonnagal kissing would've been less shocking than this.

Hermione Granger looked around , it didn't look like hell had frozen over, neither had pigs started to fly, then how was it possible that Ron Weasely, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were sitting on the same table laughing.

She pinched herself, and as it turns out ,No ,it wasn't a dream.

She walked towards their table and heard Ron's voice flow through,

"You should've seen the way the quaffle was passed around, man it was..."

Of course, they were talking about Quidditch, what else could those three have in common except their love for the game. Malfoy was the only one facing the doorway , so it was only him who saw her approaching their table. His eyes twinkled and he pulled out the chair next to him for her ,Harry and Ron turned to see who it was. They said "Hey-mione" in such a unison that all four of them laughed.

"Well, this is unusual." She said ,then deliberately sat on the seat next to Harry and not on the one Malfoy had pulled out. Malfoy raised his left eyebrow but didn't say a word.  
>Her two best-friends looked nervous of her reaction, well, at least Harry did. One never knew with Ron. But Hermione wasn't angry , she was amused and ,thought she would never admit it, somewhat happy that her friendship with Draco wouldn't be a problem with Harry or Ron.<p>

"Oh..umm ,actually ,you see Mione," began Harry " we were doing our potions essay and didn't know how many handfuls of flaxweed is added to the draught of wakefulness. And neither of us had our books, so we were wondering in which book here could we find then I saw Malfoy and I thought ,maybe he knew and I asked him and he helped us and..." then Harry awkwardly waved his arms around the table.

Ron looked a little scared ,and she was oddly touched at how much her reaction mattered to her friends. She just smiled at Harry and them opened her potions book , so that she could complete her essay too.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and Ron just looked plain shocked as if he couldn't believe she wasn't angry. She looked up to find Malfoy looking at her with an amused expression on his face. But she just smiled at him and started writing. The boys started to talk about quidditch again and she tuned them out. But her mind wandered towards the fact that working with Malfoy didn't seem awkward at all.

She was interrupted a few minutes later by Ron saying "Hey Mione how many tablespoons off crushed unicorn horn are added to the polyjuice potion?"

"Three" said Hermione.  
>"No , granger" said Malfoy,frowning " Not three, four tablespoons are added"<br>" I'm very sure its three Malfoy" she said with a scowl, she knew she was right.  
>"I've read the recipe so many times granger that it is printed on my brain, Granger-"<br>"Yes, but I brewed it in my second year , so I'm pretty sure I'm right " she said, immediately regretting it .  
>Malfoy looked so shocked that it was almost funny, but the scowls that Ron and Harry were looking at her with, showed that it wasn't funny at all.<p>

"You brewed POLYJUICE Potion in your Second year?"Malfoy asked , and she was sure that if his eyes got any wider, they would fall out.  
>"Umm..yeah ,I did" she replied,trying not to look at any of the others.<br>"Why?"Malfoy looked at her , and then at Harry and Ron. And as he registered their expressions, his face brightened with understanding "Now this is a story I have to hear" he said leaning back in his chair , grinning .  
>"It was your Idea Hermione " said Ron" I think , you should tell it "<p>

"Uhmmm.." she cleared her throat and began " You remember how everyone was getting petrified in the second year , right and the blame fell on Harry?"when he nodded she continued "We,umm, had our own thoughts on who it could be and used the potion to determine that it wasn't"  
>"And who was your suspect?" he asked.<br>Hermione grimaced ,she did not want to answer that.  
>"Well,ummm , thought it was ,well, you" she said and saw his eyes go wider,she decided to get the rest of it out too " On Christmas eve that year,Ron and Harry changed as Crabbe and Goyle and entered your common room and, by the way you talked it was clear that it wasn't you" the slight hurt in his eyes made her explain more "Draco, You have to understand that with the way you acted it wasn't difficult to imagine that you were responsible"<p>

He stared at her for a moment , then nodded and said "I understand why you might presume it, and as a slytherin I must add it was a good plan. But what I don't get is why did you not come with them? I mean if you brewed a potion that hard in your second year them you must have wanted to be there too ?" he asked and Hermione grimaced as Ron and Harry howled with laughter at Draco's question.  
>Draco looked confused at the laughter. Hermione decided to get it over with.<br>"Well , you see Polyjuice potion is only effective with humans, and the hair the I took wasn't quite human" she said ,stammering through out .  
>Ron laughed up again and said<br>"You should've seen her , merlin with whiskers and hair on her face and a tail" and he started laughing again.  
>Draco's face looked almost comical as the fact that she's turned into a cat human sinked in.<br>"You became a cat?" he exclaimed  
>Then he too started laughing , and even Hermione couldn't control her smile. They only quieted down when Ms Pince , who looked a little shocked at the people sitting together, came to shush she left ,Ron stood and said "We have to go Harry,its time for quid ditch practice" and Harry stood as well, they said their goodbyes and left.<p>

Hermione added finishing touches to her essay and decided it was time to go to the common room.  
>She stood and said to Draco "I think I'm going to the common room, rest a little before dinner" ,he stood as well and said "I'll walk you there"<p>

"No, it's alright- " but her protest died at her lips as his expression said "are we going to do that again?"and she decided she wouldn't mind his company for a few more minutes.

They walked together with their hands almost touching and every time their hands brushed, her heart gave a little flutter. After a few minutes he stopped and turned to her to say  
>"Granger, I remember a little of the night when Potter and Weasley came to our common room and I just want to say that I'm so sorry for what I said about you-"<br>But she cut off his apology , she didn't need to hear it, she knew how much he regretted everything.  
>"It's okay , Draco" she said smiling at him and forced herself to not stare at his deep grey eyes.<br>"I think we've already established that you did what you did because you were jealous of me " He laughed and then they started walking again. His laugh sent a shiver down her spine and she had to control the urge to kiss him.  
>After a few minutes of walking, she heard him laugh again.<br>"What's so funny?" she asked  
>"Just imagining you in whiskers , Granger" he said <p>

A/n- I hope you guys liked it. And I'm sorry for the delay but you know school and studies are the hurdles that stand in my way!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	8. Denials and Acceptances

Disclaimer- Like you don't know it already….

Chapter 8-Denials and Acceptances.

Just when he thought his house couldn't hate him more, they proved him wrong.

The thought crossed Draco's mind as he registered the sour look on the faces of some 5th year Slytherins. It only amused him, He'd known that the minute he gave that statement he would become a traitor, someone who would never be forgiven. He'd also known the minute he made friends with Gryffindor students; he would become the target of everyone's hatred.

He sat down away from everyone and began to eat. He looked towards the Gryffindor table, but none of his friends were there. He chuckled, who knew he would, someday, call Harry Potter, Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger his friends? Certainly not him.

He ate some more roasted potatoes , then looked up to see Potter and the Weasleys come into the hall, Potter and the female Weasley walked hand in hand, while the male Weasley looked around the hall. Searching for his girlfriend, probably.

The only person missing was Hermione, he looked around again but he couldn't find her. That was strange, she always ate with her friends, he'd figured that out over the last week that he'd been friends with them. He ate his dinner slowly , his eyes fixed on the door. When she didn't come in even after ten minutes, Draco was getting worried.

And from the look of the commotion on the Gryffindor table, so was Potter.

With a scowl on his face , Potter was asking the rest of the 6th years something, and his shoulders tensed up when most of them shook their heads. It worried Draco that if no one in her house knew where Hermione was.

It was ridiculous; he knew she could take care of herself. And she'd been fine when he'd last seen her in the library.

Just then he felt someone slip into the seat next to was Pansy, he smiled at her. She was one of the few, probably the only one, who had supported his decision of going against his family. She was also one of his best friends.  
>"Hullo" she said, then snagged of one of his breadsticks.<br>"Hey" he exclaimed, trying to fake a scowl. He couldn't and they ended up laughing. Draco had never had any siblings, and Pansy was the closest thing to a sister he had. He looked up at the Gryffindor table again, still no sign of Hermione.  
>"Hey,I know you got some hot shot Gryffindor friends , Malfoy " said Pansy, dragging away his attention " But can you stop staring at them? It's getting creepy" she said , faking a shudder.<br>Then before he could say anything, she looked over at the Gryffindor table with an appraising look and said " I don't know, Draco ,I don't think Potter or Weasley are that handsome , But whatever floats you boat." She said, ending with a sigh.

He struggled to not laugh but he knew just the right buttons to push.  
>He figned shock and said " What, not pretty enough for you Pansy? I guess they don't measure up to Blaise ?" . He then grinned in triumph as a tell-tale blush rose up her cheeks . Her mount Everest sized crush on Blaise Zabini was somewhat of a hot teasing topic. She swatted his arm and this time he feigned hurt, clutching his arm and she laughed.<p>

He looked over Pansy's head, still laughing just to find Hermione walk in the doors of the Great Hall, their eyes met. He smiled at her ,but she looked away and kept walking until she reached her friends, she smiled at all of them. He frowned ,but she didn't look at him again.

"Oh,so it isn't Potter or Weasly after all, Its Granger" said Pansy , who had been watching the whole exchange . His frown deepened but she looked like a kid in a candy store.  
>"What are you talking about?" he asked<br>"Well, it's simple isn't it? I'm talking about how the live-in Gryffindor nerd has got you all knotted up"  
>He smiled at her description of Hermione ,but his smile disappeared as the rest of her sentence sinked in, again, he wondered What was she talking about?<p>

"Could you speak English?" he asked and saw her shake her head in the whole Malfoy-is-such-an-idiot-way she often did.  
>"What I'm trying to say, and you are too hard headed to accept, is that you like her, Malfoy" she said<br>He sputtered. The bite he'd just taken went down the wrong pipe. He coughed and took the glass of water that Pansy handed to him.

When he could finally breathe again he said "That is just absurd. Even for you Pansy " ,she sighed as if she had expected his denial , then said  
>"You know what isn't absurd,Malfoy? Is how your eyes brighten every time you look at her, How the only thing you've talked about in the last week , is her. She is the only person that you have let in ,Draco. You do like her, accept it. Because as soon as you accept it , you will be able to do something about it." Draco stared at her, stunned as she grinned a mischievous grin "Because from the look of the glare she's looks at me with every time I'm within a few feet of you, she expects you to do something about it" then she got up and left.<p>

Left Draco staring after her, as he decided to come to terms with all that she'd said.

She had to be wrong. He couldn't possibly like granger. Could he? But as he looked at Granger and felt his heart summersault at her smile, he thought that maybe it was possible after all.

A/n- I know its short, but I don't have a lot of time!  
>P.s –You guys will LOVE the next part though!<p>

P.P.S- Thank You for the 2000+ views.

P.P.P.S- I'm looking for a beta , if anyone is interested.


	9. Really, heart?

A/n- Okay, so first- I am really sorry for the delay! And second- Happy Thanksgiving To all of you who celebrate it and to all of you who don't! Eat some turkey for me!

Disclaimer-Don't make me say (or type, whatever) again!

Chapter 9-Really, heart?

Him? Really, heart? Of all the boys in the universe, you had to go ahead and choose him?

Hermione Granger had been asking her heart this question for three hours now, and still no answer!  
>She stabbed her fork in her pudding as she looked over the slytherin table and saw him smiling at Pansy. Again. The Bastard.<p>

Her heart fluttered at the sight of his smile and Hermione asked again for the 456th time, if her calculations were correct, that Really, heart?

"Hey, what has that pudding done to you?" said an all too familiar voice, and she looked up to see almost all her friends staring at her, half of them looking concerned, and the other half tried to hide their smile at Ron's concern about food.

Hermione sighed and stopped stabbing the pudding. There wasn't anything wrong with the pudding, it was just her heart that wasn't working properly. She just tried to smile at her friends.

Tried, being the operative word, because, as it turns out, smiling is a very difficult task while your heart is breaking. Who knew? Certainly not her.

God, she had been so happy this morning. Her heart had been whole, certainly not broken apart in a million pieces, and bursting of happiness. For the first time Hermione Granger had understood what all those singers were singing about. She'd finally understood what the whole hoopla about love had been about. And she had to admit, she couldn't have remembered being happier.

Until her world had come crashing down.

She had been in the Library-go, figure- waiting for her first love to walk in, she had it all planned out, how in between talks of potions , she would include chemistry, how while writing the transfiguration essay , they could maybe change from friends to something more. But it had never happened.

Why, you ask?

No, it wasn't because she had been afraid. Of course not, She was a Gryffindor, duh. Nor was it because she'd changed her mind. Nope, it was because he'd never shown, she had waited for three hours. A piece of her heart breaking with each passing second. Making it 10,800 pieces that her heart was now broken into.

But it had still made excuses for him, telling her that maybe something had happened, that he couldn't just blow her off. He wasn't like that. But the way he'd been laughing with Pansy when she had walked into the Great Hall , was proof enough that he hadn't come, because he hadn't cared.  
>Her heart still tried to offer a measly excuse that maybe they were just friends.<p>

Really, heart? She asked again, she should've known that thinking with your heart never worked out.

"Have you gotten the valentines fever too, Hermione?" asked Harry ,distracting Hermione from her internal rant.  
>"What are you talking about?" she asked, confused<br>"Well, you were muttering something about hearts and with Valentine's day a week away, thought like every girl" but at Ginny's scowl he changed his words "I mean , like most other girls, you too were going craz- I mean , you too are excited about it." He said.

"No, it wasn't like that, I was just , You know what never mind" she said , not realizing that she'd been voicing out her rants. Harry and the others laughed at her sentence, and Hermione had to accept that it made no sense.

Soon, the Great Hall was emptying up, and Hermione and her friends stood up to leave too, as they exited through the doors, Hermione turned in the opposite direction to everyone else,  
>"Hey, aren't you coming to the common room?" asked Harry<br>"No, I just have to go back to the Library , I left a book there." She said, but honestly she just wanted to be alone. But Harry frowned and said " I'll come with you"  
>"No,its alright,you go on with Ginny" she said, knowing that if Harry came along with her, she would break and tell him everything, and that wasn't something she wanted to do.<br>"Hermione, I'm coming with-"  
>"I'll walk with her ,Potter" said Draco Malfoy, appearing from the doors behind them "I have to go to the Library , anyway"<p>

"No , it's alright I can walk alone " Both the boys ignored her,Harry looked at both of them for a minute, frowned, but agreed after looking at the hopeful expression on Ginny's face. Hermione knew she couldn't stop him, as much as she wanted and Ginny deserved the time they got together.

She walked silently alongside Malfoy, trying not to let him know of the hurt and anger coiling inside of her. He didn't need another reason to laugh at her.

"So Granger,why were you late for dinner tonight?" he casually asked, and something inside of her broke. She couldn't hold the anger in anymore.

"I was late , Malfoy" she said, more like screamed " because I had been waiting for you"she watched his eyes go wide " Do you remember that you were supposed to meet me today? " the guilty look on his face told her that he hadn't.

She turned away from him and started to walk away, tears threatening against her eyelids. But he grabbed her hand and pulled her back.  
>"Look at me , granger" he said , and as she looked in his eyes, she saw true regret. "I'm really sorry ,Granger. I forgot, Pansy had needed help with her homework and I agreed to help "<p>

At the mention of Pansy's name, Hermione's blood boiled again. She struggled to free her hand from his grasp "Then what are you doing here , Malfoy? Go help your girlfriend with her problems , I am a big girl, I can walk to the Library myself" she sneered.

His eyes narrowed, as he pulled her against him, now holding both her hands. Then he grinned, he really grinned. And her heart skipped a beat again.

Really, heart?

"Are you jealous ,Granger? Of pansy?" he asked, still grinning but to her it wasn't funny anymore.

"Yes , I'm jealous Malfoy " she almost screamed, and tears she could no longer control smeared down her face , His smile vanished and he just stared at her " I'm jealous because I like you, Malfoy  
>I'm jealous because you forgot me for her , I'm jealous because she is not the one whose heart you are breaking, you're breaking mine"<p>

For a moment he just stared at her , then put his lips down on hers. He kissed hers o softly , she felt as if a feather was being brushed across her lips. But another piece of her heart broke as she realized the true meaning of this kiss, it was a kiss goodbye.

He lifted his head, and stared at her for almost a minute, as if capturing her in his mind. The silence in that hall way was deafening. Then with a guarded look on his face he whispered in her ear,

"You deserve the world ,Hermione. And I'm sorry, but I'm not even a whole human being, anymore."

And then without another word he left. The only thought in Hermione's mind was

Really, heart?

********  
>An –Hope you liked it! Please REVIEW!


	10. Unexpected Adviser

Disclaimer- *sobbing and screaming* I don't own it!

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><p>Chapter 10- Unexpected Adviser.<p>

If there was an award for the "most pathetic and miserable boy in Hogwarts" , Draco Malfoy was sure he would get it.

It had been a week since that night, since the night when his life had turned upside down. Realizing that he'd fallen in love with the girl he had hated for almost the whole time he'd known her, had been shock enough, but to find out that she liked him back, to have kissed her and have that kiss shake his whole existence and to walk away after all that ,is enough to throw a guy for a loop.

But while Draco had lost all his concentration, focus and sleep, Hermione seemed to be thriving more than ever. She was on time with all her assignments, while Draco couldn't study to save his life. You wouldn't have noticed a difference if you didn't look close enough, and for the last week , all Draco had done was stare at her, hoping that she would look back. But she hadn't.

She had barely said anything to him, spared him a look only when he had been sitting with Potter and Weasly. But he knew she was doing as well as he was.

He could see the redness in her eyes, probably from crying all night. All she did these days was sit in the Library and study. For the first time, Potter said, she had missed a Gryffindor quiditch match. She didn't even go to Hogsmeade last weekend.

Hell,the mutt had missed her just as much as he did .The dog had roamed all around Draco, when he'd gone over to meet him,as if searching for her, had looked at him when he couldn't find her , and when Draco had shrugged , the dog had looked menacingly and then had walked away. Draco couldn't blame the little guy, it had been his fault.

He missed her laugh, the way her eyes crinkled when he smiled at him, how passionate she was about everything. He missed her more that he thought he could miss anyone. It was like he had lost oxygen. It was becoming difficult to breathe without it, without her.

And just when he thought he couldn't be more miserable, he proved himself wrong.

"You were supposed to be completing you assignments, Mr Malfoy, not staring into nothingness."  
>sneered a voice , behind him and he turned around to see Snape frowning at of Draco not submitting his work on time, Snape had give him detention to complete them. Which was what Draco was supposed to be doing , instead wallowing in his troubles.<p>

Suddenly , Snape's expression changed, and he went from annoyed to uncomfortable in a second.  
>"Mr Malfoy" said Snape, in what seemed like the most amiable tone he could manage " it's been brought to my attention by a fellow teacher, that you haven't been completing any homework , and have looked ..uuh depressed lately, and maybe I , as you belong to my house, should talk to you.<br>So is there anything..umm wrong Mr Malfoy?" Snape asked, and Draco had the feeling to laugh.

"There is nothing wrong , Professor. I promise I will complete all assignments soon." He replied, because there was nothing else to say, Draco very well knew that neither he nor Snape wanted to be here, having this conversation and the only reason they were was because McGonagall had asked him to.

But Snape didn't walk away like Draco expected him to. He sighed and sat down on the chair in front of Draco.  
>"Mr Malfoy, I've known you for six years now, but I've never seen you this sad. Is it about your father?" Snape asked.<p>

Draco, who had been looking down, snapped up to look at Snape, who looked a bit... a bit sympathetic and worried .In that moment, Draco realized that no matter how aloof he acted, Severus Snape cared, and he cared a lot.  
>"No, professor, I made my peace with my decisions the first time I heard my father talk about killing people as if it was something fun." Draco said, staring at Snape, who had a surprised look on his face."Yes, I was there" said Draco, answering the unasked question. Snape had been there at that party, when Lucius Malfoy had talked as if murder was fascinating, as if it was something he did , not just for the sake of doing it, but because he enjoyed it. Snape looked a little guilty and with just a nod Draco accepted his unspoken apology.<p>

"Then , Correct me if I'm wrong Mr Malfoy, your current sadness won't have anything to do with a girl would it?" asked Snape, and Draco felt his answer spread across his face .

"Ahhhh.. I thought so,"said, Snape , back to uncomfortable " It wouldn't be a brown eyed Gryffindor , now would it?" asked Snape.

Draco stared at him, wondering how he needed to know what to do, he needed to know if he had made the right decision. And as he looked at Snape, he realized that he only had one option. He had no brothers, his only male friends were Potter and Weasly , who Draco knew wouldn't take it well if they found out, that left Snape. He sighed, then nodded, then proceeded to tell Snape what had happened, how they had become friends, in the most weird circumstances, how he had realized that she meant more to him, what had happened that night. When he had told his story,he found Snape frowning.

"Then I don't understand Mr Malfoy, what the problem is? Why can't you two be together?" Snape asked,  
>Draco was surprised that Snape hadn't figured it out.<p>

"Because Professor, when war breaks out I will be the first one Death Eaters will kill, and if they figured out about Hermione, they would use her to get to me. I can't take that risk, Professor. And she deserves someone better anyway." Draco said, wondering if he was right,because the right thing wouldn't cause this much pain, would it? He searched for understanding on Snape's face, but to his astonishment , for the first time in his whole life,he saw Severus Snape chuckle.

"Are you forgetting who you are talking about ,Mr Malfoy? You are talking about the girl who stood between a man she thought was a murderer and her best friend , just to protect him ,the girl who lied to Umbridge for her friend, who formed a secret Defence society. A girl who belongs to Gryffindor. She is Harry Potter's right arm, Mr Malfoy, she is already, no.2 on The death eater's killing list . Do you think fear of dying is something that would stop her from being on the front lines, when the war breaks out? Do you think just because you walked away, would stop her from throwing in front of a death spell for you?"  
>something flickered, in Snape's eyes, something that looked a lot like pain.<br>"Draco, there is no one else like Hermione Granger in this world. Don't let her walk away just because you are scared. Because you will regret it for your entire life" And then he walked away, his eyes full of regret and pain.

As Draco watched Snape walk away, he realized that Severus Snape knew what he was talking about, he knew it from experience. Draco knew that he had made a mistake but he just wished it wasn't too late to fix it.

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><p>An- Thank You for the 3000+ reviews! The story will end in the next chapter. Hope you liked this!


	11. Mission Accomplished

**A/n- This is the end! I can't believe that this is ending, because even though this story is only 11 chapters long, it holds a place in my heart and goodbyes only make me sad.**

**Disclaimer- I could be J.K Rowling. And maybe Pigs could fly.**

**Chapter 11- Mission Accomplished.**

When is the worst time to be a girl with a broken heart? Valentine's Day.

Hermione Granger arranged the books on the table in front of her, as she thought about the coming weekend, in about five days the world would become couple's central, and all her friends were way too excited about the coming festival. This time Valentine's Day overlapped with a Hogsmead weekend and it was something everyone was happy about, everyone but her.

But, well, nothing made her happy anymore.

Why couldn't have anyone told her how painful getting your heart broken was? Because, hey, if she had known she wouldn't have fallen in love in the first place. But as much as she tried, she couldn't really regret the time she had spent with Malfoy, she had felt as if she was on the top of the world, she had been happy, and for the first time in her life Hermione Granger had felt... felt beautiful.

She had seen him around since that night, and every time a little piece of her heart had broken. Funnily enough, she wasn't angry. She had expected that after a night of crying and grief, anger would take their place, but it hadn't happened. She still cried at night, she still longed to see him, to talk to him, to kiss him. But she couldn't, not if she wanted to hold on to the little amount of sanity she had left.

She sighed, and looked around. There was almost nobody in the library; everyone was either snuggled up with a significant other or looking for one. The library had always been her haven, but in the last few days it had become her refuge, she knew her friends had noticed that something was wrong, she'd seen the concern in their eyes, but she couldn't talk about everything that had happened, not yet. Especially not to Harry or Ron, their friendship with Draco was new and she didn't want to do anything that would harm it.

Because even if he didn't want to admit it, Draco Malfoy needed friends, desperately.

_You deserve the world ,Hermione. And I'm sorry, but I'm not even a whole human being, anymore._

His words rang in her ears again, she again felt the pain and regret that he'd poured in those two sentences. It was theses words that had convinced her that he, too, had cared for her. That she wasn't the only one falling. He was scared, she had realized later, and she couldn't blame him after all that he'd been through.

So she had decided to give him time and some space, so that he could figure out that what they had was worth fighting for, that love was worth the risk. She had taken a step back, ignored him and had been polite when necessary, but after a week, she was beginning to doubt her own decision. He thought that he didn't deserve her and she hadn't contradicted him. She hadn't done anything, she didn't ...fight.

But she had, had enough. She'd never been really patient and He had, had enough time. If a week couldn't knock sense into him, then she would.

With a new determination inside her, she stood up to move out of the library and ran into something hard, something she instantly recognised as a chest and as hands flew over and held her elbows to steady her , she realized who they belonged to. Draco Malfoy.

She looked up to catch him staring at her, with a hungry look in his eyes, an expression that only gave her more hope.

"Hey" he said softly, but he didn't let her go. And Hermione didn't want him to.  
>"Hey" she replied, unable to control the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.<p>

"Hermione,-"  
>"Draco-"<br>They both started at the same time and she smiled but he didn't. Only now that she realized that the hands that held her were shaking, and that he looked really nervous.  
>"Please, let me speak first" he said, and she nodded " I'm sorry, for forgetting that I had to meet you, I'm sorry for walking away that night, I'm sorry for hurting you, Hermione. I told myself that I was just trying to protect you, that you would be better off without me, that I didn't deserve you and I know that the last part is probably true, but I'm really selfish and If you can forgive me for being the biggest arse in the entire world, for acting like a jerk, I would try to be better for you."<p>

He took a deep breath and continued " I love you Hermione Granger, I would love you for all my life if you would let me. I would fight with you and I will fight for you, No, please let me finish before you say anything" he said, when she opened her mouth to try and interrupt him, to tell him that she loved him too , that he was what she would always want and love.

"God, I would move heaven and earth if that's what it takes but please Hermione don't say that I'm too late-" but Hermione had, had enough and if her words couldn't interrupt him, she decided that maybe her actions would. So she stood on her toes and kissed him, for a moment he was too surprised to do anything but a second later he wrapped his arms around her and she intertwined her hands around his neck.

She put all the love that she had for him in that one kiss, and when a few minutes later she broke free and murmured "I love you, too". A slow grin spread across his face, and he leaned in to kiss her again.

After a few hours in which they had talked, kissed and laughed some more ,he suddenly groaned and said " Do you realise that if you hadn't been running from Mrs Norris that night ,this never would've happened? And now I have that cat to thank for, for the best thing that has ever happened to me?"

Hermione laughed at the painful expression on his face ,and she thought she saw whiskers before all thoughts fled her mind as he kissed her again.

Mission Accomplished, thought Mrs Norris, as she took one more look at the intertwined couple and left the Library.

**A/n- Please, please review. Hope you guys liked it!**


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